Reusable package billboard

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a reusable billboard applied to a plurality of containers in a manner that permits reuse and recycling of the most substantial and visible part of a package of containers.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/000,596, filed 26 Oct. 2007.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a reusable package billboard for providing both a substantial billboard area and a unitization feature for two or more containers.

2. Description of Prior Art

Bottles, cans and similar containers are typically used for soda, juice and similar beverages. Conventional container carriers are often used to unitize a plurality of similarly sized containers, such as cans, bottles and/or similar containers that require unitization. Flexible plastic ring carriers having a plurality of container apertures are one such conventional container carrier.

One complaint regarding such conventional plastic ring carriers is the inherent lack of billboard area for marketing, promotional and informational purposes. However, to accommodate such billboard area, such carriers would generally require substantially more material that, if not recycled, would ultimately result in substantially more solid packaging waste. Therefore, although capable, traditional plastic ring carriers have not included such billboard area in the interests of minimizing solid packaging waste.

It may be one desirable object of the subject invention to combine the attributes of conventional container carriers for use with a reusable billboard that will not enter the waste stream but rather be reused following individual sale of the relevant package.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A reusable billboard according to this invention is used to engage with a plurality of containers for retail sale. Preferably, the reusable billboard is removable at or after the point of purchase and may be reused in association with an additional plurality of containers, either by the retailer or, upstream in the process, at the bottler. This process may be repeated continuously thereby resulting in complete recycling of the most substantial and visible portion of the packaging in the package described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a reusable billboard according to one preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a package prior to engagement with a reusable billboard, according to one preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the package shown in FIG. 2 during engagement with the reusable billboard; and

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the package shown in FIG. 2 following engagement with the reusable billboard.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-4 show various preferred embodiments of a reusable billboard 10 preferably for use with a conventional flexible carrier. FIGS. 2-4 show a preferred embodiments of a package utilizing a flexible carrier and a reusable billboard for unitizing and carrying multiple containers.

FIGS. 1-4 show reusable billboard 20 for carrying one or more containers 80, according to various preferred embodiments of this invention. Containers 80, such as those shown in packages 90 in FIGS. 2-4, are preferably, though not necessarily, single serve PET, HDPE or similar bottles, such as those accommodating 12 ounces, 16 ounces, 20 ounces or other suitable quantities of product, such as soda or juice. Although bottles are shown in FIGS. 3-4, similar containers 80 may be used with reusable billboard 20 and carrier 10 according to this invention. Containers 80 are preferably like-sized within a single carrier 10 and reusable billboard 20.

Carrier 10 unitizes one or more containers 80 to create package 90, such as package 90 shown in FIGS. 3-4. Carrier 10 preferably comprises a flexible plastic material preferably constructed from a flexible, resilient material such as, in one preferable embodiment, low density polyethylene. Carrier 10 further includes a plurality of container receiving apertures, each for receiving a container 80. Following application, carrier 10 preferably unitizes the plurality of containers 80 into a tight compact grouping suitable for sale and transport. However, as shown in FIG. 2, absent additional features, carrier 10 does not present a prominent display space for marketing, promotional, informational and similar material that is helpful in the merchandising of containers 80.

Reusable billboard 20 preferably comprises a flexible plastic sheet 30 constructed from a flexible, resilient material such as, in one preferred embodiment, low density polyethylene. For most applications, the sheet 30 may have a thickness of about 3-50 mils, suitably about 5-30 mils, commonly about 10-20 mils.

Plastic sheet 30 of material is preferably cut, using means known to those skilled in the art, such as a stamping die, to form the perimeter and one or more apertures 60, 70 and/or other features as described below. As shown in FIG. 1, billboard 20 preferably comprises sheet 30 having foldline 40 dividing the sheet into a first display panel 50 and a second display panel 55. Foldline 40 may additionally include slit 45 extending at least partially across foldline 40.

According to one preferred embodiment of this invention, best shown in FIG. 1, at least one lower aperture 60 is preferably positioned in sheet 30, so that one lower aperture 60 is positioned on either side of foldline 40. Lower apertures 60 are preferably sized to engage a lower portion of container 80. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, lower aperture 60 may comprise a generally octagonal shape to engage a lower extremity of a bottle. Lower aperture 60 may alternatively comprise any other suitable shape capable of engaging and/or cooperating with a lower portion of container 80 including oval, elliptical, round, square, etc.

In addition, at least one upper aperture 70 is preferably positioned in sheet 30 at each extremity of sheet 30. Upper apertures 70 are preferably sized to engage an upper portion of a container 80. Specifically, upper apertures 70 may be engageable with a neck of a bottle. Upper aperture 70 may alternatively comprise any other suitable shape capable of engaging and/or cooperating with an upper portion of container 80. As a result of the described configuration, a lower aperture 60 and an upper aperture 70 are preferably positioned at opposite sides of each of first display panel 50 and second display panel 55, thereby resulting in one preferred embodiment of reusable billboard 20 having a pair of lower apertures 60 and a pair of upper apertures 70. More lower apertures 60 and/or upper apertures 70 may be positioned within reusable billboard 20 depending on a size of package 90 and/or containers 80, configuration of package 90 and/or containers 80 and other related factors.

According to one preferred embodiment of this invention, removal portion 75 is positioned adjacent each upper aperture 70. Removal portion 75 preferably enables placement on and removal from containers 80 as herein described and best shown in FIG. 3. Specifically, removal portion 75 permits a user to grasp and stretch upper aperture 70 around an upper portion of container 80 for placement of reusable billboard 20 onto package 90 and/or removal of reusable billboard 20 from package 90. As shown in FIG. 1, removal portion 75 may comprise tab 76 and/or finger aperture 78.

Transition section 58 is located between first display panel 50 and second display panel 55 of billboard 20. Transition section 58 preferably tapers into both the first display panel 50 and second display panel 55. As a result, transition section 58, following placement on package 90 extends underneath package and below at least two adjacent containers 80 within package 90.

A resulting package 90 thereby preferably includes a flexible carrier 10 having a plurality of apertures; a plurality of containers 80, each engaged with an aperture; and a reusable billboard 20 engaged with at least one container 80. As shown in FIGS. 2-4, in one preferred embodiment of the invention, lower apertures 60 engage a bottom of middle containers 80 and upper apertures 70 engage a top or neck of those same respective containers 80. The resulting package 90 thereby includes a prominent display on each side, specifically, first display panel 50 on a first side of package 90 and second display panel 55 on a second, opposite side of package 90. An underside of package 90 accordingly includes foldline 40 and/or slit 45 generally bisecting billboard 20.

In practice, billboard 20 is preferably applied to containers 80, for instance bottles, underneath unitized containers 80 and terminating on each side around a neck of one or more container 80. Package 90 is then preferably displayed in a retail setting for viewing and purchase by customers. Following sale of package 90, billboard 20 may be removed at the point of sale and/or following sale and billboard 20 may then be routed either within the retail location at which the sale occurred and/or back to a location where package 90 was originally assembled, a location that may or may not be consistent with the point of sale location.

Regardless of the application and removal location, it is one preferred embodiment of this invention that package 90 include two or more containers 80 unitized within carrier 10 and including reusable billboard 20 extending around package 90. Such an arrangement permits prominent display of billboard graphics and information and also permits removal and reuse of a substantial amount of material used in package 90.

While in the foregoing specification this invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many details have been set forth for purpose of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that reusable billboard 20 and the related method of use and manufacture are susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention. 

1. A package billboard for use with a plurality of containers, the package billboard comprising: a sheet having a foldline dividing the sheet into a first display panel and a second display panel; at least one lower aperture positioned in the sheet on either side of the foldline; at least one upper aperture positioned in the sheet at each extremity of the sheet; and a removal portion positioned adjacent each upper aperture for removably applying the container billboard to a plurality of containers.
 2. The package billboard of claim 1 wherein the removal portion comprises a tab and a finger aperture.
 3. The package billboard of claim 1 wherein the at least one lower aperture is sized to engage a lower portion of a container.
 4. The package billboard of claim 1 wherein the at least one upper aperture is sized to engage an upper portion of a container.
 5. The package billboard of claim 1 further comprising: a slit extending at least partially across the foldline.
 6. A package billboard comprising: a sheet having a foldline dividing the sheet into a first display panel and a second display panel; a lower aperture positioned in one end of each of the first display panel and the second display panel; an upper aperture position on an opposite end of the lower aperture in each of the first display panel and the second display panel; and a removal portion positioned adjacent each upper aperture for removably applying the container billboard to a plurality of containers.
 7. The package billboard of claim 6 wherein the lower aperture comprises a generally octagonal shape.
 8. The package billboard of claim 6 wherein the upper aperture is configured to engage a neck of a container.
 9. The package billboard of claim 6 further comprising: a transition section between the first display panel and the second display panel, the transition section tapering into both the first display panel and the second display panel.
 10. A package comprising: a flexible carrier having a plurality of apertures; a plurality of containers, each container of the plurality of containers positioned within an aperture of the plurality of apertures; a reusable billboard engaged with at least one of the containers.
 11. The package of claim 10 wherein the reusable billboard comprises a first display panel and a second display panel separated by a central foldline.
 12. The package of claim 11 further comprising: a pair of upper apertures formed in the reusable billboard; and a pair of lower apertures formed in the reusable billboard.
 13. The package of claim 12 further comprising: a removal portion positioned adjacent to at least one of the pair of upper apertures.
 14. The package of claim 10 wherein the plurality of containers comprise bottles. 